Eight Gadgets You Should Have in Your Bag: On Commercialism and Materialism

1. Tablet

2. Smartphone

3. GPS

4. Digital Camera

5. MP3 Player

6. Pedometer

7. Portable Alarm

8. Hard Disk

(Complete post is HERE.)

Okay, let me start by saying that I am not against gadgets and I don't intend to be righteous in any way in this post. But, I just have to say that I felt a bit incredulous reading the list of gadgets enumerated in the article. Really, do we need all these in our daily work or schedule?

I know for one that if I get a good smartphone, I won't need the following:

a. Tablet - unless I do a lot of reading and I find the screen of the smartphone too small.
b. Digital camera - unless I am an avid photographer, in which case I'll just get a DSLR. For ordinary picture-taking, however, smartphones produce photos that are just as good in quality compared to those produced by many digital cameras.
c. MP3 player - with sufficient memory in a smartphone, I can have enough space to accommodate all my music.

There are even apps that can incorporate GPS and pedometer in phones, so there's really no need to get these separate devices (unless I travel a lot - for the GPS - and unless I'm a serious fitness enthusiast - for the pedometer).

Portable alarm? Sure, I can have that. And hard disk, yes, I'll definitely need that.

I understand some of the gadgets enumerated in the article are a must, but most of them are simply impractical. I guess the point I'm making here has something to do with what the article wants to imply in its introduction when it said: "You’re constantly on the go, hard working, and confident. Which is why you will need the right gadgets to help make modern life less complicated and more functional for you! Here are eight important gadgets we think all new age girls (that’s you!) should have."

This is not the first time I encounter posts that equate the life of modern women (note: new age girls) and their confidence to gadgets and possessions. I believe the post is too materialistic. Please stop promoting the idea that worth = possession (because that is what this article is doing, even without blatantly showing it). And please be realistic. You say "... you will need the right gadgets to help make modern life less complicated and more functional..."

But really, won't all of those gadgets in your bag actually make your life complicated instead of simplifying it? Just my two cents here.

The Greatest Fear

I wish I can be there
Before the time you go
So I can hold your hand
And tell you I love you so.

Repost: The Way We Are

Can we really know a person – for real? I mean, is it possible to really know a person? Or are we the only people who know ourselves (or, do we even know ourselves like we think we do)? The latter is beside the point, so let’s not digress.

If only we know the reality about the people we care about, if only the cloak of mystery that surrounds every human being will be removed, I guess it would be easier to deal with people. There’s no need to pre-judge a person… no need to act so cautiously thinking that we might be doing the wrong thing and the person might react negatively to what we do (no matter how innocent or sincere our intention)… no need to second guess, wonder, and suffer trying to decipher the mind of a person just so we’ll know how to react the right way to that person.

Why do we really need to put on masks? I guess because we’re afraid of the world. Because of our need to conform. Because of the fear that the world will not like what they see when we reveal ourselves.

But, recent events have showed me just how unhealthy this part of human nature is. Because of the masks that people around us wear, we are unable to relate to them in the best way we can. And because of the masks that we ourselves wear, we deprive ourselves of the chance to be really seen, and to be liked the way we are. And this makes everything complicated.

Yes, we become vulnerable by revealing ourselves – whether it’s to the people we deal with everyday or, yes, to that person we care about so much. We might get hurt. Our dignity and pride might be trampled.

But, what about the rewards? What about the possibility of being liked and loved just the way we are? What about the possibility that the person we care about so much will reciprocate the feelings that we have? These are only possibilities, but don’t they hold promise?